Chapter 1
by Brendie
Summary: Elena and Damon were once in love but time and circumstance break them apart. Now Elena is starting fresh with Stephan but can she truly move on from such a great love? Read and rr please !


Hi My fellow Delena ship fans :D

This is the first time that i am uploading one of my Delena fanfiction that me and my good friend Keshia wrote back in 2012. I never thought i would ever upload the story here. but after rereading the fic not too long ago i thought of why not trying to complete the story since its such a waste not completing it. Than i met this really nice person here on who encouraged me to really start working on the story again. Thank you once more Angela *huggles* She told me she knew someone to beta for me and so it happend that this awesome person started to edit the first chapter for me. Thank you Sophie *huggles* And here I am about to upload the first chapter *excited* I really hope all you Delena fans will like my AU Delena story. Happy reading!

Love

Bren.

Wires of Love

by Bren and Keshia

Chapter 1

Ever since Stefan and Elena had both lost both of their parents in the past –, hearts were being broken in the process –, they had really needed a little bit of a steady lifecontinuity to get everything back together again. They had to be get away from her bitchy twin sister Katherine and Stefan needed distraction from the loss of his parents, for he was still grieving over their death every day.

It was almost a month after the tragedy when the couple completely changed locations and moved to the south of Italy. Stefan moved into the holiday villa his parents used to go tofrequent in the summer and Elena moved into a small apartment near the coast to fulfil her dream of , for she really wanted to wakinge up to the a view of the sea outside her bedroom window and hearing the waves from beneathcrashing on the beach her bedroom window. But after everything that had happened to them in the past, they needed thethe thing they needed most was the company of each other most of all.

Stefan's current location one summer afternoon was in the south of Italy, his exact location being Apulia. Loosely holdingStanding there with a glass of wine, he Stefan leaned over the pure white railing of his deceased parents' villa in the south of Italy and stared at the sea and its waves rolling over the sand, never stopping, but going on and on forever. Only Simply looking at it calmed his heart, but it was not only the waves that were able to give him that feeling. No, something else, someone to be more exact, made him feel so much than just calm and at peace. And that someone was coming and walked up the stairs of the house. The moment he glanced her way, and a serene smile came to his lips was the momentand he caught a glimpse of her long dark brown hair blowing in the wind. The one person he loved above all came up the steps to visit him and have dinner with this same night.

Stefan reached out his hand for her to grab and she gracefully accepteds his hand to take the two small steps that got enabled her entrance to the villa. She fell into his embrace the moment she made it to the top.

"Stefan," she breathed as she hugged his body close and took in the familiar scent only her boyfriend possessed.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Shaking his head Elena smiled and kissed him deeply.

Stefan returned her kiss with much pleasure and a long five minutes later they both drew back again, both breathing hard as they sait down at the small table located on the south side of the villa, so that Elena was able to get the most sun whenever she was visiting Stefanthey could see the sun as it set.

"Are you okay?" She looked at him worried.

"I'm fine."

Elena's face turned serious then.

"Don't lie to me, Stefan,." She cautioned. " It's been, what, almost three months since your parents were killed without anyone knowing the answer of why or how it happened and how! You can't just say 'I am fine' and act like nothing happened! You just can't keep this up forever.," she growled and sighed deeplyShe took a deep breath when she finished.

"I know, Elena, but I just want to try and forget to make it easier bearing the griefabout it; it's the only way I can bear the grief. Or thatAnd, I want to forget that Damon ran from home to finish his studies and forget seemed to completely forget about our parents' death. Being here in Italy together with you is all I want to focus onthink about right now. Please try to understand that, Elena?" he finished his answer with a patient and calm tone to his voice.

Seeing the honest expression reflected in his eyes she had to give up her argument, and she stood up from her seat to give him yet another warm hugreached over the table to clasp his hand comfortingly.

Stefan smiled gratefully. "We'll be fine. As long as we have each other there is nothing that can get us down. Not even your evil twin sister Katherine."

Grinning, Elena spoke again. "You're right. I am worrying way too much. But really, you don't have to worry about my sister for a long while. She said she was going away on a summer trip to California with her girlfriends or something." She shrugged her shoulders to change the subject quickly again.

"Can I watch you and Red train this afternoon?"

Elena asked hopefully, already knowing the answer even before her boyfriend was able to provide her with one.

"Sure when it has cooled down enough you can help me with Red. He is in a really good shape, which makes me glad,is great because we have a competition concourse to ride in a week and a half and I want him to be in great pique condition the momentby the time we ride into that ring."

Elena listened without asking questions. She might not be as interested in the welfare of horses like her girlfriend Caroline seemed to be, but she really enjoyed watching her boyfriend completely focus when it came to showjumping, especially when riding Red, the pure white show jumping horse, owned by a riding school near Stefan's villa.

Grinning Stefan gave a nod.

"Sure, Elena, you can come this afternoon. Are you able toCan you get there by yourself or shall Ido you want me to come pick you up from your apartment before going to Red?"

"You can come pick me up if you don't mind?" She showed him one of her sweetest smiles.

"Alright, then I'll pay the supermarket a little visit. I want to buy the ingredients for tonight's dinner. What are your plans for today?"

"I think I'll study for a bit since classes are starting in only two more weeks' time. I need to prepare myself as much as I can."

Already expecting such an answer Stefan gave her an amused look and a nod, only to smile again soon after.

"Okay, I'll come pick you up at 5 PM. See you then."

Standing up, the couple gave each other one last kiss before they each departed in two different kind of directionsElena departed.

Elena's apartment was located only ten minutes away from Stefan's villa, so it never took her long to get to her boyfriend's house.

She was living alone, but with Stefan daily coming to her place rather than staying at hisdaily, she never really felt alone all this that much. She and her two best girlfriendsfriends, Bonnie and Caroline, who she had known since her childhood, stayed in contact and once every two days they called and kept her updated about her home, Mystic Falls.

Entering her house, the first thing Elena did before grabbing her school books, was taking her diary from its place near her bed. to write a little in it.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I can't believe how lucky I am to have finally have found a normal life together with Stefan right next to meby my side. No longer do I need to watch over JeremyI don't need to worry about Jeremy any more, since he is doing fine at Aunt Jenna's place. Though Although, I keep wondering about Damon and why he left his brother behind, in the moment he Stefan needed him the most. I think Damon is no longer the person guy I used to know, which saddens me deeply. I just wish he contacted would contact Stefan; , for I hate to see the grief so deeply delved etched in his eyes. Even though he won't admit it, I know it's true. I can easily tell he is missingmisses him Damon badly, even though he won't admit it, I know it's true.._

 _I am going to say goodbye now, Dear Diary, talk soon. L, love, Elena._

Placing it back on her nightstand, Elena focused on her reading. She bareley heard Stefan's footsteps come up the stairs of her small bedroom and suddenly his hands were over her eyes and he had started to kiss her neck. She moaned and closed her eyes in pleasure, which got her to moan and close her eyes in pleasure.

"Stefan," she managed to say before his lips found hers. He dipped his tongue into her mouth and he let both of their tongues play with each other for a while, until he drew back again, allowing Elena regain her breath.

"Ready to go?" he asked, grinning. Looking him up and down she gave a delighted nod. She always liked to see him in his riding wear with his neatly polished black boots, his leather gray riding pants and his white t-shirt that always made his muscled arms look even better in the sun.

Together they stepped inside Stefan's old black jeep and drove into the direction of the stables. For a long time, the jeep had belonged to his father, and when his parents died he claimed the car as his own since Damon had already ruan away before he even had got any choice in the matter.

In the next twenty minutes they drove up the terrain of the Italian riding school that was very always crowded around 5 PM in the afternoon. Many riders were practicing dressage exercises and tricks; several jumped over the many obstacles, like wooden walls and old tree trunks. to train their horses and make them better than they were before.

Parking the car near the stalls, Elena followed Stefan to the back of the stables to get Red, the stallion, her boyfriend had been training two days a week.

The momentWhen Stefan took only one step into the direction of the stallion's stable, the white horse whinnied cheerfully to greet his buddy in welcome.

Touching the horse over the head and pPetting his Red's neck and manes, Stefan took a halter to clasp it on the horse's head and lead him out of his stable.

"Ready to go all out again today, Red, buddy?" Stefan said to the horse who nudged his head into the young man's hand as in answer, which got him to chuckle at the stallion's act. "I take that as a yes., then?"

Elena watched Stefan talked to his horse like if he were one of his friends and didn't think she ever would get tired of seeing them together like this. Red and Stefan had a bond for life that nothing could ever break. She wished it would never come to that.

If only his brother could see him being this happy again. But then again, Damon had nothing to do withknew nothing about horses. He would've never have understood the bond his brother and the horse shared with each otherhad. It had only taken a little more than a month to form between the young man and the horse, but Elena quickly shook her head to clear it of these less than pleasant thoughts not wanting to go there. She had to stop thinking about Damon so much and concentrate more on Stefan. She kept noticing her mind wandering back to the elder Salvatore brother and she had no clear explanation for it, other than she was missing him almost just as much as his younger brother seemed towas. If only she still had his phone number. She wanted to be mad at him for ditching on them just like that, but no, when they had fallen apart she removed his number from her phone's memory and never thought to add it ever again. Up until now.

Quickly focusing her attention back to Stefan and Red again, she saw them all ready to go as they rode into the horse-sand-circlering to canter a bit and to get the horse warmed up. She had takentook a seat in the sun and watched him and Red train.

Somehow, while watching Stefan and Red jump obstacle after obstacle, she wasn't able to keep her mind on the horse and his rider. Instead she thought back to a time before things had gotten as complicated as they were now. A time where she still was the happy, lucky girl in love with a boy named Matt. Back when they had been high school sweethearts; he the captain of the football player team and she the captain of the cheerleader's team. Back to a time when she was able to be a carefree teenage girl before her parents got killed by a crazy guy that shot around himself in townmentally unstable man that had sent shots flying off at random and in that very moment, on that faithful fateful day her parents just had to be there. Neither of them made it out alive— they got shot in the head and died instantly, only to die in an instant.

Elena thought back to the time when she had become friends with Damon. Back to the time when he had managed to cheer her all up again after her parents had died and her aunt and uncle adopted her, and her twin sister and her brother. Damon had been such a patient, gentle and kind person back then. However, he only behaved that way with her.

Why did his parents have to die? Why had things changed this much? She still found it weird that no evidence had been found of the mysterious death of the Salvatore couple. After his brother had bailed from life and ran awaytook off, she and Stefan had fallen in love. She thought she could leave it all behind but somehow she still longed for Damon's love. Every time she went to sleep at night it wasn't going awayher mind wandered towards the golden days with Damon and this made her angry at herself, knowing that the only answer was to find a solution before she was able to let it go. But she knew very well that the only solution she was able to think of could break the relationship she had with Stefan in a heartbeat. That's why she held herself back on finding another way to contact Damon. When Stefan called her name she put on a fake smile and waved his way.

But Stefan was not blind. He knew she was still torn between him and his older brother Damon. He was not stupid. Seeing her distant stares into nothing and deep in thought, he knew she was thinking about his brother and not about him. But there really was nothing he could do but to love her with all he had. Damon was somewhere in Poland and he was here, together with Elena, for she had chosen him and he was going to do whatever it took to keep her close to him.

"Elena, would you like to sit in the saddle for a bit? RedRed won't is no longer able to jump up or canter away. He'll be calm and good, trust me."

And before she was able to give him an answer in return he grabbed her and sat her atop the huge white horse that was slightly all sweaty and still a bit out of breath.

"Ohh!" She yelped as she grabbed for the horse's mane horse manes but quickly enough Stefan handed her the reigns instead. "No need to be afraid, Elena, Red knows I am here with you. He is a good horse." Turning her head, Elena gave him a weak smile, not really feeling all this brave right now.

After a little while, Elena regained enough courage again and Stefan took the horse back to cool off and to returned a little while later.

"Alright, let's get us home. And then I will cook you one of my specialties, love," he said sweetly as he kissed her on the mouth.

"Let's go! And be my master chef," she responded in a mocking tone which earned her a tickle in the sides.

"Watch it or I am going to cook you something dangerous from which you won't recover all this easily," he warned her playfully.

Together they drove away from the stables to have a little romantic dinner— just the two of them together at Stefan's villa.

HMusing he scratched at the dark wooden surface of the bar's counter he was sitting at. He stared down at his glass trying to concentrate only on the slight and yet pleasant buzz in his head and the warmth through his veins.

How long had he been sitting here again?

Time passes by so fast when you're _enjoying_ yourself. It has always been like that. And yet, in spite of all the enjoyment and excitement in his life he felt as if he was missing something. It was always the same routine over and over again, night after night, day after day. Travel to different places— like yesterday he had been in Hungary and driven to where he now was: Kraków, Poland. It had been about an eight-hour-ride and he was exhausted and booked a room in the closest motel before striding to the next bar.

Usually his day would go like this: He would party all night, pick out a company or two for the more 'exciting' activities and then settle down in a bar with his favorite type of drink, bourbon. But for some reason he didn't feel like that at all today (or even last night). He just wanted to drown himself in booze and not think of anything. Something nagged at the back of his mind and he mentally swatted at it like an annoying fly buzzing around your ear.

He downed the rest of the golden liquid in one swing. He just loved the taste and the way it burned down his throat. And— _Mmh_ , there really was nothing better than a glass of bourbon whiskey.

But it wouldn't chase the damned memories away he tried so hard to forget. …But at the buzz and fuzzy feeling was increasing. _Perfect_.

The bartender in front of him snapped his towel from his shoulder and dried a glass while slowly raising his ashen eyebrows at him. He was a middle-aged man with auburn hair slowly turning to gray and didn't understand at all how a young man in his mid-twenties would get drunk at the bar around this time of day. Not many people came to his bar, especially not the young ones. He was used to serving those around his age or older. But this one had just stumbled into his bar last night and demanded bourbon whiskey as if he walking in here every day, which surprised him to say the least. Then he watched him drink like there was no tomorrow and slur about a woman (whose name he couldn't remember) he had fallen in love with but broke his heart when he had been in hell and ran then run off to another man. Or had the other man stolen her from him? There had been more versions he had told in his drunken state before passing out at the bar. Feeling sorry for him he had called him a cab to bring to his current residence and wished him luck. …And then he came back today.

"Another bourbon." The dark-haired man pushed his now empty glass towards him without looking up. With the best will in the world he couldn't remember how many he had had. Was that his second? Third? Not that it mattered right now.

The elder man raised his eyebrows. "Hey, lad, you want some food with that?" he asked and refilled his glass. He was old enough and paid, but something about this guy made him feel a little sympathetic. Maybe because he was a father of two sons around his age. Or maybe it was the fact that he reminded him of himself when he was young and lost and had his heart broken and stomped over.

 _Lad_? Was he seriously calling him _lad_? He Stefan was twenty- _six_ for god's sake! He raised his head to glare at the bartender but then their eyes locked and he decided against it, inwardly shrugged. It didn't matter right now. Actually, nothing seemed to matter at this moment.

"Nope." He let the 'p' pop and grabbed his glass, taking one big swig. "Mmh."

 _I'm on the highway to hell/ (Don't stop me)/ And I'm going down, all the way down/ I'm on the highway to hell_

Oh yes, he was, wasn't he? He pursed his lips and slightly bobbed his head to the song.

He wasn't sure if he was heading towards hell or actually slowly and steadily getting out of it. He just wanted his life back. Any life if possible. He had taken a risk of letting everything in his life go when he decided to leave home and drive from place to place. It was just too painful staying at home where everything reminded him of… things he didn't want to think about right now. Fact was that he lied to get out here. His family thought he was studying at a university… He snorted. Family. Right. And—

 _A laughter echoed in his mind. So genuine and gentle. It made his heart swell and—_

…Stop. Nope., Nnot going back there. Definitely not.

His eyes drifted to an attractive young redhead who leaned onto the bar next to him. She ordered a martini, but obviously she just did so to get his attention. She tapped one hand on the bar while her other one sunk into her hair, twirling a curl around her finger. He let his cobalt blue eyes skimmer over her slim body which she had squeezed into a black dress. Hm, not bad… When he looked up again she was looking at him and a slow smile spread on her full red lips.

Well, he could use a distraction for now. He had thought of obliterating his mind with liquor but somehow it took longer than he thought today. Which was strange because he had a massive hangover this morning.

"Oh, aren't you a sorry sight," a voice tinged with a British accent drawled behind him.

Was that directed at him? He didn't know anyone in Poland… Maybe it was a sad attempt of a flirt. But he couldn't help but think that the voice sounded familiar. He turned and froze. Stared. Whoa, what? He furrowed his dark brows.

A woman around twenty-five going thirty grinned at him and ran a hair through her dark cropped hair. Her light eyes shone with amusement and yet there was a tint of sadness in them. "You know;, you'd better pick your jaw up from the floor. I know it's been a few years but it can't be _that_ shocking to see me."

His surprise quickly altered into a smile and he looked at her fondly. "Well, hey there Rosebud. Fancy seeing you in this particular place." With a hand gesture he motioned her to take a seat next to him. "Sit down, have a drink."

"Wow, when you drunk-dialed me I didn't expect _this_." She Rose emphasized her words by circling her outstretched hand over him in the air. Rose She sat down on the leather cushioned barstool and and ordered a her martini with a quick smile at the bartender.

…Oh right, he had called her when he miraculously found himself in his motel room late last night. However, he couldn't recollect what they had talked about. Well, he obviously had told her where he was otherwise she wouldn't be standing here right now.

Rose-Marie Irving, or preferably Rosebud as he liked to call her, had been his childhood friend since kindergarten. Because she was two years older than him she kind of set her mind to see him as her little brother. It was very embarrassing for a young boy to be looked after for by a girl, but to be honest, he didn't mind at all. Having a younger brother himself he more or less liked the change of habit. And he did the same for her and protected her several times when they grew to be teenagers. They always got had each other's backs and it was nice to know you could count on someone.

After graduation she and her younger brother Travis moved to England with their grandfather and she started working as a conservator-restorer. Actually she had always wanted to be a rock star, but due to a kick in the _arse_ by reality, alias a.k.a. her grandfather, she willy-nilly agreed with him that is was an unstable job and chose to rock on stages in karaoke bars. Nevertheless, she was happy with her job and loved it and that was essential. She had in fact always found favor in antique objects and she was pleased that she was able to travel to many different places to recover those and bring them to the museum and institution she worked at.

" _This_ meaning my dashing, gorgeous, irresistible self?" He smirked at his statement which only made her roll her eyes before giving him 'the look'.

" _Damon_."

" _Rose,_ " he mimicked and slightly widened his eyes with a grin.

Apparently she was quite good at giving 'the look'. Though in some way it also looked cute the way she tilted her head a little downwards and to the side, looking at him with a stern gaze and pursed lips.

She suddenly smiled and he couldn't help but think it looked somewhat… _forced_. "How are you doing?"

He sensed a hint of worry in her voice but he just shrugged it off, not wanting to talk about how he really felt. "Fighting fit." He chuckled at himself and shrugged again. "Walking on sunshine, I guess." He took another nip of his glass and turned his head to her lazily. " _Why_ are you here?"

The bartender brought her a cup of coffee as well as milk and sugar, setting it down in front of her. He placed a cookie on her bottom plate and winked at her with a smile. She grinned at the kind gesture and thanked him before turning back to her fellow friend.

"I was nearby and you sounded like you needed a friend. You seemed lost." Right, _nearby_. SWell, she had been in Austria the time he called her and he sounded somewhat desperate. And being the person she was she got into her car and drove 9 hours straight here. She was so relieved when she found out from the hotel registry that Damon had come to this bar. Usually she wouldn't have come here, but after everything that happened to him in the past three months and his unusual call caught her off track. Damon never called her when he was desperate. And he certainly didn't call when he was drunk, upset and desperate.

There was something in her eyes that irritated him. He didn't like it at all and narrowed his eyes. He hated to be pitied and he honestly didn't want it now. Was he lost? That was the understatement of the century.

"Sure I do."

Rose put her hand on his and gently stroke his knuckles with her thumb. "Talk to me. We haven't talked in a while." And she didn't want to force him to talk considering what happened. When she asked how he was doing over the past few weeks he evaded and ignored her. But it couldn't be like this all the time.

He looked at her hand for a long while before looking up into her green eyes. She did seem worried. But she had always been like this even since the childhood we spent together. It part of the big sister complex she had around him.

Well, maybe she did have a reason to be concerned. He did call her late at night or early in the morning (depending on how you saw it) and drawled on about how he reached a pointless phase in his life, yadda-yadda. Wow, now that he thought of it… maybe he was reaching that infamous midlife-crisis.

But something did make him call her. Usually he was in control. Except when it came to _her_. He guessed that he had just been distressed and drowning in solitude had sort of choked him in that moment. And that was why he was sitting at this bar, at this time of day, getting himself drunk. _Again_.

 _She giggled as she ran away from him, dashing down the halls of the house. He gave her a head-start and yet he still managed to easily catch up with her. A loud squeal escaped her when he growled and threw his arms around her._

" _Gotcha!" He pressed a kiss to her head as she giggled again and tried to free herself from his arms. "Come on, aren't we getting a little too old for this? All this chasing around is making me tired."_

 _She turned in his embrace so she was looking at him and pressed her lips to his in a loud smack. "You're enjoying this just as much as I am." Her eyes glinted with joy. "I thought you liked chasing after me?"_

" _I already have you."_

" _Yes, you do."_

" _So… What's my prize?"_

"Damon?" Rose whistled and waved hand in front of his face. "Hey, Damon, don't space out on me."

Blue eyes blinked and he quickly snapped out of his daze. Sighing he pinched the bridge of his nose. Ugh, somehow the bourbon wasn't exactly helping today.

Rose regarded him with a cautious look. She knew exactly what was going on and why he was like this. And he needed to talk and get everything off his chest if he wanted to go on. She wouldn't let him get rid of her that easily now. Not until he finally talked.

"…You should stop doing that."

She looked at him confused. "Stop doing what?"

"Giving me that look. Going all big protective sis on me." He narrowed his head and looked at her sternly. "I'm _perfectly_ fine."

"Yeah, I can see that." Her voice was clearly dripping with sarcasm. She then added in a soft voice, almost a whisper, "Damon, you need to get over her. There's nothing you can do about it anymore."

Oh, he was so over it all. At least that was what he kept telling himself repeatedly. "Please, just stop talking."

… _Her_. Really now? It wasn't just about her. It was everything else around her as well and he really didn't want to talk or think about this.

She sighed heavily and shifted her eyes to the counter. "Fine." He probably needed time to figure everything out.

For a while they sat in silence, sipping on their drinks and listening to the music playing in the background. It was somewhat soothing, this pleasant silence. All of a sudden Damon didn't feel like getting any more drunk than he already was. He felt an unexpected emotional weariness sweep over him and right now it was just overwhelming him. When the church bell started chiming and Damon realized it was past noon he stood up and pushed himself from the bar, motioning Rose with a head tilt towards the door that it was time for them to go. He was tired and she could tell by the dark circles under her eyes that she was too. He put down a few euro bills on the counter, paying for Rose's drink as well.

"Hey, Damon."

He raised his head. The bartender was leaning on the counter of his bar, a towel scrunched up in his right hand from polishing the table a few minutes before.

"It'll get better. Trust me."

…He really didn't think it would, seeing how screwed up his life was at the moment but that look in his eyes made him inwardly pause. It was filled with so much intensity and honesty— it was as if he truly wished that for him. Against his will he felt the corner of his lips tug upwards in a smile.

"Thanks, Samuel."

End of chapter 1


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